Back to orchards

When was California State University, Fresno, granted national sovereignty? They seem to be walking that walk and talking the talk as the saga of Campus Pointe plays out. The apparent disdain for public involvement in the planning process and a rejection of state regulations regarding competitive bidding are of particular concern.

At least a portion of their funding comes from public tax dollars. That also means that the campus is legally public, not private property, and we should at least have the opportunity to vote on its potential urbanization. We might also argue that any income derived from that property should go to the state treasury, rather than some dark hole where its ultimate use might be in question.

Public agencies and their employees should be held to a higher ethical standard than entities that are not responsible for upholding the public trust. While I am in no way suggesting any impropriety has taken place, the perception of a potential conflict of interest, both in the past and in the future, does exist. That should be enough to return Campus Pointe to the orchard it was intended to be. We should have learned something from Operation Rezone.